While seniors counted down the days until graduation, for some of them, it might be simply a few years until they’re back.
Several students at Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School, located on the north side of Columbus, participated in a class teaching them how to teach. Principal Dan Garrick offered a sequence of education classes to juniors and seniors this past school year.
“We at the high school level offer electives in almost every area that a child may want to go into, but we don’t do that for education, and that’s our business,” he said. “It would seem to me that it would be very logical.”
The idea was also a response to a growing teacher shortage. Fewer young adults today appear to be interested in becoming teachers. As a result, Garrick set out to grow his own.
“We have fertile soil in our schools, kids that may be interested in education,” he said. “What better way of encouraging them to go into education and then ultimately come back to their alma maters, whether it’s a grade school or a high school, and consider making it a career within our diocese.”
The first such class offered to students at St. Francis DeSales is known as Exploring Education, and the second, Foundations in Teaching. Garrick first offered the Exploring Education class last school year during the spring 2024 semester.
The first class in the sequence focused on providing students an overview of opportunities in education.
“The large focus is clearly on teaching but also making sure kids understood other areas that you could be involved in when it comes to teaching, whether you want to be a guidance counselor or an intervention specialist, or you want to perhaps be some type of support, like an athletic director, or you want to go into school administration. We looked at all the various roles that you could theoretically play within a school setting,” Garrick said.
Students observed teachers at the elementary and high school level. They visited schools in the area and observed teachers at St. Francis DeSales who they were not taught by in class. Students reflected on effective teaching methods.
“In addition to being exposed to different roles, we talked about different types of educational settings that a student may want to look at and really a strong focus on Catholic education as well: the value, the advantages of a faith-based education,” Garrick said.
The class proved to be a success, and students asked for continued instruction on education. Garrick designed the second class, Foundations in Teaching, in response and to “get into the more nuanced parts of teaching,” he said. The class was offered to juniors and seniors this past spring semester.
A few students who took the class are interested in studying education in college. Should they want to return to St. Francis DeSales, they will be well prepared. The class equipped students to return and teach in a diocesan Catholic school after earning their college degree.
Dillon Govekar, a senior at DeSales, had considered studying education for a while. He was intrigued when he heard a class would be offered on the subject.
“I thought it would have been best to experience it before I dedicated four years to it,” he explained.
“I was iffy on it until … this year, but then, as it went on, I realized this is what I want to do. … I’m really happy I did take this type of class.”
The recent high-school graduate will head to John Carroll University in Cleveland this fall to play soccer and study education. He plans to return to a high school setting one day as a history teacher.
Foundations in Teaching offered practical teaching tips, which, Govekar explained, he can implement in a classroom as a teacher. He found it helpful that Garrick also shared his teaching expertise with the class.
“He gave personal experiences he’s had when he taught, because he did teach history, too. He tries to tie that in to what we’re learning about,” Govekar explained.
His desire to be a high school history teacher was largely inspired by his sophomore history teacher at St. Francis DeSales, Nick Slupski.
“He inspired me to want to pursue the path altogether,” Govekar said. “I feel like if I follow in his footsteps – I learned a lot from his class – I feel like that would benefit me.”
Students who took Foundations in Teaching studied a variety of education-related topics. They learned about differentiated instruction, testing and different methods of teaching.
During one class period, Garrick instructed students on special populations, including special needs and gifted individuals. The students learned common characteristics of gifted students, average intelligence quotient (IQ) and a gifted IQ. They learned about various types of gifted students and how to identify and assist them.
Students in the class continued teaching observations at elementary schools and St. Francis DeSales. Each student also taught the class on a topic of choice.
Juniors Abbie Canter and Aedan Pallone, who took Foundations in Teaching this past semester, are interested in pursuing a career in education. Both took the class to learn more.
“It wasn’t exactly what I expected,” Canter said. “I think that it ended up being better because we go on observations and look at different schools, which, I think, is so much more hands on than always sitting, lecturing.”
Students in the class observed teachers in classrooms at Columbus St. Josephine Bakhita, Our Lady of Peace and Immaculate Conception schools as well as other schools in the area.
Pallone said she appreciated the opportunity to take trips, see students in a classroom and observe. She explained that a hands-on class is how she learns best. Pallone also benefited from the instruction on different learning styles.
“It just teaches you that not every kid learns the same way and just how to accommodate to each student in their own needs, in their plan, their own goals,” she said.
“I think that the most important thing I learned is listening to your students and making sure that you’re seeing them where they’re at, and that there’s more going on than just school, which is really important to build those relationships with students,” Canter added.
Garrick found that he appreciated teaching the class as much as students enjoyed learning.
“I thoroughly enjoy it,” he said. “It’s great for me. I think it’s also good for the kids, too, to see their principal as a teacher because you don’t necessarily always see your principal as a teacher, although most principals obviously started as teachers.”
Garrick reported 30 students are signed up for Exploring Education next year. He will likely offer the class in the fall and spring semesters, he said. He also anticipates offering Foundations in Teaching again during spring semester next school year.